


Tumbling Into Your Heart

by bottomchanyeol, t_dragon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bad dating experiences, Crack, Fluff and Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 20:25:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17066492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottomchanyeol/pseuds/bottomchanyeol, https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: Chanyeol is a lowkey famous tumblr model, known for his large personality and larger......muscles. But even with all of his followers, he's feeling a bit lonely, and starts dating. Will he have to give up on his tumblr when he finds The One, though? And will he be able to let go of the blog that helped him through so much, including his sexual awakening and his bouts of insecurities?- This fanwork was written for round 2 of the bottom!Chanyeol fest [2018/19].





	Tumbling Into Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh, hello? Hi there, yes, it is I, the writer. First of all, let me apologize for this mess, because holy crap this is a true mess! The idea is lovely, I nearly fell over in amazement as I came up with it, but then life happened, and I couldn’t put my all into it like I wanted to (but I still managed to scrape up 18k when I aimed at 8-10k what). I’m still very much in love with it, though, and I hope you’ll enjoy it and can see it for what it was meant to be when you read it!

Chanyeol was already awake when his alarm went off. He had slept badly yet again, and woken up way too early. It was almost like a habit by now, and it irked him to no end.

Dismissing his alarm, he got back to lazily scrolling through tumblr. Not a lot was happening this early, at least not from the people he followed, and sighing, he rolled over onto his stomach. Turning on his camera and changing it to the front-facing one, he did his best half-scowl (apparently he looked good whilst scowling), and snapped a picture (or ten).

Looking through them, he deleted the bad ones until he only had one picture left, and after fixing it up a little, he headed back over to the tumblr app.

 _’Just woke up and supposed to head over to the gym, but I didn't sleep well so thinking about skipping. I'm tired~’_ ‘he wrote, before pressing post.

Sighing a little, Chanyeol checked the time - 8:28 - before he locked his phone and threw it down on his bed. Rolling over onto his back, Chanyeol slung his arm over his eyes, trying to motivate himself to get up. He really should at least get out of bed, staying in it all day would not help him sleep better the next night. Actually going to the gym and working out would also help, exhausting him hopefully enough to give him a deeper sleep.

But his bed was so comfortable.

Yawning, Chanyeol rolled over onto his side and searched for his phone, having to dig it out from beneath him. Unlocking it, he saw that he had already gotten some notes, and he smiled at the one comment he had gotten telling him to just sleep some more. Yeah, that sounded like a nice plan.

Engaging in some more scrolling, it did not take long before last night's activity on tumblr started getting to him. The freaks comes out in the dark, and it was still late in some places. Trying to decide on whether or not to give in to himself - if he was too lazy to actually do anything - Chanyeol scrolled some more, before deciding on ‘why the hell not’.

Propping himself up a bit better against the headboard, once more questioning his choice of the (cold and slightly uncomfortable) metal design, Chanyeol started fiddling with his phone before finally finding a filter that seemed good. Starting the recording, he slowly removed the cover enough to partially uncover himself, before he started to palm himself over his boxers. Thinking back to the things that he had seen on his dashboard just a little earlier, it did not take long before Chanyeol was hard and a dark spot was beginning to form on the fabric hiding his erection.

Sliding his hand into his boxers, Chanyeol pulled out his manhood, giving it a few long and slow strokes. He really wished he had prepared a toy, but impromptu handjob was impromptu.

Sighing softly, Chanyeol pushed those thoughts away as he sped up. Oh, how he wished it was someone else's hand on his dick, someone's hot breathing against his neck as they thrusted up into him, his legs wrapped around their hips.

Whimpering, Chanyeol pushed his head back, legs trembling as they lifted from the mattress, until only his feet were touching it, toes curling. The mental image of someone filling him, even as he remained horribly empty, was strong enough to push Chanyeol over the edge alongside the stimulation from his hand. Biting down on his lower lip, Chanyeol held back a groan as the pressure released, white staining his hand and lower stomach.

Panting softly, Chanyeol slowed down his hand, more just squeezing out the last than jerking off. When the oversensitivity became too much, he released his softening manhood, and ended the video.

Putting his phone on the bedside table, Chanyeol quickly cleaned himself up, before he got back to tumblr. Not really knowing what to write, he just put a simple _’#morning workout’_ and posted it.

Once more dropping his phone into the abyss of his bed, Chanyeol gave a deep exhale as he closed his eyes. He was still feeling empty, his ass but also his chest now, and he did not like it.

It had been quite some time since his last relationship, and Chanyeol was starting to realize that maybe he was ready and very much in need of a new one. Some people could go forever without a significant other, but Chanyeol was not one of them. He had too much love to give, he loved being doted on and spoiled, and that was one of the reasons he had started his tumblr in the first place. He liked the attention, and in place of a real life lover, his followers were doing a pretty good job of keeping him happy.

But there was still something missing, and Chanyeol decided that it was time to find it again.

 

xxx

 

“I'm not getting Grindr, are you stupid?”

Sehun’s raised eyebrow let Chanyeol know that he was very much not joking, or appreciating Chanyeol’s comment on his intelligence. How someone could convey that much in such a small gesture, Chanyeol did not know, but he was still impressed.

“Why not?” Sehun asked, and Chanyeol had to laugh because was it not obvious?

Apparently not, since Sehun kept staring at him with his judgy eyebrow still raised.

“Because Grindr is for gays looking to hook up, and that's not what I'm looking for,” Chanyeol explained, still feeling like this was obvious.

“That's so, I don't know, 2016?” Sehun said, rolling his eyes. “People are using it to find the love of their life now.”

“Yeah, uh, still doesn’t feel quite like my thing, though,” Chanyeol drawled, tapping the bar in Sehun’s hands. “Are you done soon?”

“Five more, I thought you were counting?” Sehun huffed out before he took a deep breath and pushed the barbell into the air.

“Nah, too distracted from thinking about dating, plus you do so ridiculously many that I can’t keep track,” Chanyeol shrugged. “You don’t think you’re overdoing it a bit, dude?”

“Nope,” Sehun answered, pushing up again. “There’s obviously a reason for why _I_ keep getting laid, but not you.”

“Because you don’t mind one-night stands, and I don’t like them?” Chanyeol suggested, even though he very well knew what Sehun was hinting at. As if he would give him that satisfaction, though!

“Fuck you,” Sehun grunted out, before nodding for Chanyeol to help him put the barbell into the holdings.

“No thank you,” Chanyeol shot back, before he switched place with Sehun, earning himself a slap to the thigh. “Ow, you’re so mean!”

“So, what are you going to do then?” Sehun asked as he moved to help Chanyeol with the barbell. “With the whole dating thing, I mean?”

“I guess I’ll look up some dating apps,” Chanyeol said, as he began his workout. He did not really like working out, it was hard work, but after Sehun had dragged him along and challenged him, it was not as if Chanyeol was going to step down. “I’m sure there’s more than Grindr, right?”

“Yeah, of course, there’s honestly probably too many of them,” Sehun said, glance flicking around in the gym. “Or you could, I don’t know, try to ask someone out in real life?”

“Not social enough for that,” Chanyeol grunted.

“Of course you’re not if you’re going to cling to me all the time, but apparently many meet their partner in the gym,” Sehun said, and there was something in is voice that had Chanyeol stop and look up at him. “Maybe you should go for it.”

“Go for what?” Chanyeol slowly asked, starting to understand what it was Sehun was glancing over at all the time. “Fucking hell, if you’re going to sneak glances, at least do it sneakily!”

Sehun just glanced down at Chanyeol with a grin, not taking Chanyeol’s hissed words seriously. It was not like Chanyeol could do anything at the moment anyway, seeing as he was currently stuck beneath a weighted barbell, so Sehun was rather safe and unfortunately knew it too.

“I mean, from the looks of it, they’re not dating, so why not try to go for one of them?” Sehun continued, glancing between Chanyeol and the two he was talking about. “Who knows, you might get lucky? I’d go for the tan one, he looks like the tumblr dude you have a crush on, but the shorter one is cute as well.”

Heat flooded Chanyeol’s face, creeping up to cover his ears, and suddenly Chanyeol’s arms felt a bit weak.

“I don’t have a crush on him!” Chanyeol exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low enough for no one to overhear them. “I don’t even really know anything about him!”

Sehun helped Chanyeol place the barbell back in its holdings, before patting his shoulder.

“You, my friend, have a big fat crush on him, but that’s okay,” he said, moving back too quickly for Chanyeol to be able to slap him. Damn Sehun’s quick feet! “And so what if you don’t know anything about him, I said _crush_ , not _infatuation_!”

Groaning softly, Chanyeol hid his face in his hands, trying to escape from the embarrassment that was his best friend.

 

xxx

 

In the end, Chanyeol decided to try his luck with a few different dating apps, ranging from popular ones, to more obscure and specific ones. The more he used, the higher his chances of finding someone would be, right?

And it did not take long before people began to show interest, and soon, Chanyeol had several different matches and propositions ranging from sweet to downright nasty.

He had kept his profile simple, not going into too many details, and used a single photo that showed his face, but it was apparently enough for people to get interested. And the crude ones were probably going after anyone they could find, Chanyeol being no exception, so he ignored them.

Sehun had a lot of fun at them, though, spending time going through the various chats Chanyeol were ignoring and laughing over them, saying them out loud and often making Chanyeol laugh over them as well.

It was also Sehun who found Chanyeol’s first date, a man by the name Yongguk. With tattoos and a few artful images, Chanyeol agreed that he seemed like a pretty cool dude that he would not mind seeing, and after some messaging back and forth, which went pretty well as well, a date was decided.

And it went well, it was a pretty great date. But it did not take long for Chanyeol to realize that Yongguk was not really boyfriend material for him. He was a pretty cool dude, funny and sweet, but Chanyeol found that he would rather start a friendship with Yongguk, not a relationship. Yongguk seemed to feel the same, and they ended the date with exchanging numbers and promises of hanging out soon again, but nothing more.

So Chanyeol’s slide back into the dating swamp got off to a rather nice start - not perfect, and Chanyeol had not really thought he would find someone at the first try even if he had hoped, but good enough.

 

And as Chanyeol continued to try to find love through apps, the rest of his life also carried on. He hung out with Sehun in the gym, wanting to sink through the floor and kill Sehun every time his supposed best friend blabbered about Chanyeol’s lovelife, and the two dudes who were sometimes in the gym at the same time as them. It was almost creepy how easily Sehun could find them, singling them out without much effort, but maybe it was just a part of Sehun’s great talent of embarrassing and slash or annoying Chanyeol. It was horrible nevertheless.

Work was also going well, with Chanyeol belonging to a music production team. He was aiming for his own career as music producer, wanting to work with famous people, but just being able to work on projects as a part of a team was amazing as well. He was getting the experience, taking the steps and making the progress, to reach his dream.

The one thing that was not doing particularly well during this all, though, was Chanyeol’s tumblr. And whenever he thought about it, he felt a bit bad, because his tumblr was important to him.

Chanyeol had created his first tumblr back when he was sixteen, so young and confused about the world and himself. And even though tumblr was only about a year into its life back then, it was still a bustling hub - at least for a sixteen year old Korean boy. It was like a window opening out into the rest of the world, showing Chanyeol a whole lot of different views than the traditional ones he had grown up with.

And it did not take long for Chanyeol to figure out a thing or two about himself, something very important, and just like that, tumblr became his safe haven.

Three years later, when he was nineteen going on twenty, Chanyeol created his very first NSFW tumblr. It did not become very successful, with Chanyeol having some troubles with insecurities that plagued his posts, but he did learn a lot from it. Two years later, he made a new try with a new blog, but it just did not feel quite right either, leading to him starting all over again only a year later, and that turned into the blog he was currently using.

Chanyeol was actually pretty proud of his blog. It was sleek and modern-looking, not too over the top, and made completely by himself. He had even picked up a few courses of web design and coding just to be able to make it _just_ like he wanted it, and he never regretted a single moment spent inside of the computer lab, head hurting as he tried to make sense of line after line of code. No, the end result turned out beautifully, and Chanyeol was pretty sure that one of the reasons for why he was as lowkey popular as he was was because of how his tumblr looked. The donations he received every now and then only seemed to prove it as well.

So yes, Chanyeol was feeling a bit bad about neglecting his blog a little, but he tried to make up for it at every chance he got, as well as explaining a bit vaguely what was going on. And from the well-wishes (and offers) he received, Chanyeol thought that it really seemed like his followers understood. And that made him so incredibly happy, and even more determined to find someone to love, and who would love him, _all of him_ , back.

Then, Chanyeol found Siwon. And Chanyeol would come to wish he had _never_ found Siwon. Sort of, at least.

 

xxx

 

It all started off pretty well, not with too many warning signs really. Siwon had nice-looking pictures in black and white of himself wearing nice suits, Siwon chatted very nicely with Chanyeol, and there was just this vibe to him, to the way he presented himself and spoke, that had Chanyeol thinking of the rather, honestly, _typical_ tumblr dominant. This should have been the first warning sign, but since Chanyeol was a tumblr himself and did follow quite some tumblr doms himself, and liked that _aesthetics_ , he did not see it. Instead, he found himself rather excited about the prospect of meeting someone like Siwon, because that was what Chanyeol saw himself wanting.

Sehun thought Siwon seemed a bit snobbish and annoying, did not really understand what Chanyeol saw, but did not see anything too off with the guy. And with that, Chanyeol and Siwon decided on a date, and for the first time in a while, Chanyeol found himself a bit more excited about a date.

So far, the dates had not gone great, at the most getting Chanyeol new friends instead of lovers, and he had kind of lowered his expectations a little, but with Siwon, Chanyeol found himself thinking that this might be it. This might be _the_ date, and that was fun. Exciting, really. Even if Sehun spent his time helping Chanyeol get ready with a slight frown on his face.

“At least you’re meeting in public,” Sehun had muttered at one point, after which Chanyeol had spent about twenty minutes reassuring his best friend that everything was going to be alright, Chanyeol was going to be okay, and if something happened - though Chanyeol highly doubted that - then Chanyeol would leave as soon as possible, and preferably call Sehun as well.

Of course, it was very easy to say that, but another thing altogether to actually do that, which Chanyeol would later come to discover.

At first, Siwon acted like a perfect gentleman. He was all nice smiles and flattering words, even going so far as to pulling the chair out for Chanyeol to sit down. That threw Chanyeol off a little, because it felt more like a thing one would do for a woman, but maybe it was just pure politeness that made Siwon do it?

Dressed in a pair of dress pants and a shirt, a suit jacket thrown over the back of his chair, Siwon looked truly dashing, and Chanyeol felt a bit underdressed in his jeans and turtleneck, topped off by a leather jacket. But Siwon’s compliments were flowing, and Chanyeol slowly eased into it, thinking that maybe they did not look too horrible mismatched.

Then they were going to order, and suddenly, Chanyeol’s stomach started to slowly fill with bad feelings. It started with how Siwon ordered wine for them both, not even giving Chanyeol the opportunity to look through the drinks list. And sure, Chanyeol did not mind wine from time to time, but he was not big on red wine, and would rather have taken a beer. But Siwon praised the particular wine he had chosen, and Chanyeol thought why not try it? No harm in trying, maybe it was as good as Siwon claimed?

Chanyeol was allowed to order his food for himself, thankfully, though Siwon recommended three different dishes that would go the best with the wine, and Chanyeol could not help but think that if he had been allowed to order that beer he had been thinking about, he would not have had to try to match his food for his wine. But Chanyeol did not say that out loud - he simply ordered one of the three dishes, picking the one that looked the most appetizing, and then the waitress disappeared and they returned to their talking as they waited for the food.

They did talk about a lot of different subjects, and quite a few of them were centered on Chanyeol himself, but Chanyeol could not shake the feeling of Siwon completely controlling and directing the conversation. Not so much an exchange as a near interrogation, to be honest, and Chanyeol did not know how he felt about that. His talk with Sehun earlier that evening flashed past in his mind, but they had not even reached the food yet, Chanyeol could not just give up and leave Siwon all alone now! He had to at least finish his food, whenever it arrived.

The clocked seemed to crawl forwards, and the busy restaurant with its plenty orders before Chanyeol’s and Siwon’s did not help either, and by the time their food finally arrived, Chanyeol was both extremely bored and a bit uncomfortable. It felt as if Siwon was treating him in a very outdated way, like the big and mighty man who was taking the girl he was courting, the _possible_ _marriage material_ , on a date to show off how well-off and good he could be. And that did not sit right with Chanyeol for many reasons, the first and foremost being that he was also a man.

Sure, within the gay community, there were men who acted more effeminate, who wanted to be treated that way and so on, but Chanyeol was not one of them. He was soft and shy and very lovable, if you listened to what those close to him said, but that did not mean that he automatically wanted to be treated like a woman, _especially not_ like a woman from the fifties. Because Siwon was acting a bit archaic, and it was annoying.

But Chanyeol also had some problems with straight out telling people when he thought they were acting like assholes, especially in the middle of a crowded restaurant. So he kept silent, a polite smile on his face as he listened to Siwon talking more and more about himself, trying to finish his food as quickly as possible to be able to escape.

Of course escape would not come so easily. And of course Siwon was a manipulative asshole. _Of course._

Asking for more wine, Siwon waved away Chanyeol’s protests, looking through the dessert menu with a small smile on his lips.

“I really feel like we are having a lot of fun, Chanyeol-ah,” Siwon said, not looking up from the menu in his hands. “I feel like we have a lot in common, and I’m just having so much fun talking to you! Dessert is the highlight of a dinner, please pick whatever you want, this is all my treat after all!”

Ah, yes, there it was, the guilt trickling through Chanyeol’s veins, pricking at his heart. Because Siwon was paying for all of this, and it was not a cheap place, and still Chanyeol was so close to bolting. It would be incredibly rude.

So Chanyeol cursed his weak self, swallowed his goodbye, and ordered the smallest dessert he could find. He was not feeling like eating a lot more, but he had to order _something_ at least.

“So, Chanyeol-ah,” Siwon spoke up after the waitress had taken their dessert orders and left, and Chanyeol felt dread creep in alongside the guilt. “I hope you don’t mind too much, but I did some research on you as we were talking.”

Even if Siwon said he hoped Chanyeol did not mind, it was clear from the tone of his voice that Chanyeol _should_ not mind. Like it was nothing at all, and Chanyeol sat frozen in his seat as he waited for Siwon to continue, to let him know what he had found.

_Please let him not have found his biggest secret._

“I know how you’re working in music, and aiming to become a music producer, which I find really cute,” Siwon said with a smile, and Chanyeol almost cringed. Cute? Really? “It’s good to have dreams, no matter where they take us!”

Ah. Siwon was one of those who did not think that jobs like Chanyeol’s were ‘real jobs’, only mattered when they actually brought tangible success and fame. Of course. _Of course._ What is next, telling Chanyeol that he expect him to quit his job, or at least work from home so he could take care of the house as well?

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the studio you work with, but I guess it’s the artists that get all the credit, right?” Siwon continued, giving a small chuckle as if he was making a little joke, whilst Chanyeol was bristling inside. What the actual fuck? Chanyeol was working in a well-respected studio alongside a few of the most famous producers in the entire country, and anyone who mattered knew of the studio! “Anyway, I also found something else really interesting. It was a friend of mine that recognized you, actually, and pointed me in the right direction.”

Chanyeol’s heart sunk in his chest, because he was sure that Siwon knew. He must know, considering the nasty smirk stretching across his lips.

“It’s a shame really, that you’re not using that _blog_ anymore, but even the old pictures were good inspiration,” Siwon purred, and Chanyeol felt like puking at the sound. “Maybe you could send me a few new pictures, you know, for old time’s sake? You were really pretty back then, and even with how covered you are, it seems like you’re even prettier underneath your clothes nowadays.”

Chanyeol did not know if he wanted to faint from relief that Siwon had only found an older blog of his, and not his new one, or if he wanted to throw his water in his face in outrage. How dared he? This was the first time they were meeting! Could he not see that Chanyeol was uncomfortable? Who asks something like that on the first date?!

“Ah, I’m guessing you’re shy, huh, Chanyeol-ah? Was that why you stopped posting your pretty pictures? A shame, really, but you don’t mind sending some to me, do you, baby?”

The term of endearment grated on Chanyeol’s eardrums, disgusted him in ways he never thought he could get disgusted by a simple word, and suddenly he felt helpless.

Chanyeol really wished someone would come do something, because he had no idea what to do, and like heaven answering his prayers, suddenly that someone was right there.

“Hey, are you okay?” an unknown voice asked, but it was somewhat familiar to Chanyeol. Like as if he had heard it somewhere in the background or something.

Glancing up, he found one of the guys from the gym standing next to him, concern frowning his forehead.

“Yeah, we’re fine, so run along, little boy,” Siwon said, nonchalantly waving his hand with his eyes still on Chanyeol.

“I wasn’t talking to you, asshole,” the guy said, voice rather harsh, and it had Chanyeol jump a little.

Making a split second decision, Chanyeol looked up at the gym guy and shook his head no. He was not feeling okay at all. Nodding, gym guy held out a hand towards Chanyeol, completely ignoring Siwon’s indignant spluttering.

“Come on then, let’s go,” gym guy said, offering Chanyeol a small smile, and that was all that Chanyeol needed to take his hand and let him pull him up and away from the table, leaving Siwon yelling behind them.

They did not get far, though, before Chanyeol felt a hand encircle his free wrist and tug at him hard enough to pull him to a stop, a pained gasp slipping through his lips as he looked back in surprise, finding a rage-filled Siwon behind him.

“Let him go and fuck off, he’s my date!” Siwon exclaimed, lips pulled back.

As soon as gym guy heard Chanyeol’s gasp, he had turned around, and was now walking over towards Siwon, eyes dark.

“Not anymore, so I really suggest _you_ let him go,” gym guy hissed, sounding pissed enough that it had Chanyeol shivering, even though he knew it was not aimed at him.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Siwon snorted, looking over gym guy, a sneer on his face. “Do you really think you can walk out of here with him if I won’t let you?”

Chanyeol had to admit, gym guy did not seem like an overly big threat in his too-large hoodie and slightly baggy jeans, especially since he was shorter than both Chanyeol and Siwon, but Chanyeol had also seen gym guy at the gym, and knew what hid beneath the clothes.

“Yeah, I really do think so, so unless you want to make acquaintance with my fist, I highly suggest you let go now and take a step back,” gym guy shot back, and the threat was not veiled in any way whatsoever.

Laughing, Siwon just tightened his grip on Chanyeol, making Chanyeol wince from the pain, and then suddenly the pressure around his wrist was gone as Siwon was stumbling back, both of his hands holding his nose as he screamed in pain. Gym guy had been so fast that Chanyeol had barely even seen the punch, but he had heard the sickening crunch of a fist connecting with a face loud and clear.

“I really hope that teaches you a lesson, and fuck you, dude,” gym guy spit out, rather gently taking Chanyeol’s unharmed hand again and pulling him along. “If you stop being an asshole then maybe you’ll have better luck with your dates, though I really fucking hope nobody will have the misfortune of ever having to go on a date with you.”

Stunned speechless, Chanyeol allowed himself to be pulled outside and a bit away, head spinning. What the fuck had just happened?

“Shit!” Chanyeol cursed as a thought suddenly popped into his head. “He’s totally going to report you to the police!”

Gym guy came to a stop as he looked up at Chanyeol in surprise, before a rather beautiful smile bloomed across his lips. Rectangular, Chanyeol noted - how very charming.

“Well, yeah, maybe, but I don’t care,” gym guy said with a shrug and a chuckle. “I don’t regret saving you from a creep, even if I’ll end up having to compensate him. It’s worth it.”

“Don’t be stupid, it’s not worth maybe going to jail,” Chanyeol stressed, agitatedly dragging a hand through his hair.

Gym guy burst out laughing, and it really was a lovely sound, but Chanyeol just could not appreciate it at the moment.

“I won’t go to jail for punching him!” gym guy said, still smiling so widely. “I might have to give him money, but considering I punched him once after he refused to let you go, I’m pretty sure it won’t be enough to send me to jail. I really hope you’ll testify for me, though. Anyway, I’m Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol blinked down at the slender hand held out in front of him, the same hand that had punched a guy in the face for his sake. Then it registered that he had actually gotten a name for gym guy - Baekhyun.

“Uhm, hi, I’m Chanyeol,” Chanyeol answered as he gingerly took Baekhyun’s hand to shake it. “Does your hand hurt? Aren’t faces hard?”

“It’s not too bad,” Baekhyun smiled, and they had still not let go of each other’s hands, and Baekhyun’s hand was a bit cold, but very nice and Chanyeol never wanted to let go.

“Not too bad?” Chanyeol asked as he increased the pressure a little, just until Baekhyun’s smile broke into a small grimace - it was obviously hurting more than not too bad. “Liar. Come on, if you’re going to go to jail for me, the least I could do is help you with this.”

“I’m not going to jail,” Baekhyun softly chuckled, but he did follow Chanyeol.

 

It was not until they were standing outside of Chanyeol’s apartment building that he realized that he should probably have taken Baekhyun to a hospital, but it was a bit too late for that thought to pop into his head as Chanyeol keyed in the right combination and pulled the door open for Baekhyun, so he just ignored it. Whatever, he had helped Sehun enough times that he should be able to help Baekhyun somewhat, right?

_Right.?_

Clamping down on his panic and forcing himself to keep breathing deeply, Chanyeol brought Baekhyun over to the stairs going up - the pain in living in an old building. It was a beautiful house, the ceiling was high and it looked great, but the lack of an elevator truly was a pain. At least Chanyeol’s apartment was located on the second floor.

A silent chuckle had Chanyeol stop and turn around, watching as Baekhyun pressed the back of his fingers against his lips, not looking at Chanyeol, but looking very much like he was holding something back. Slowly, Chanyeol’s eyebrows pulled into a frown.

“What?” he asked, making Baekhyun’s eyes dart up to him, before they darted away again, and Baekhyun dismissively waved a hand.

“Nothing, it’s nothing, I just thought about something.,” Baekhyun answered, amusement still curling his lips upwards, and Chanyeol was really intrigued now.

“It’s not nothing, it’s obviously something!” Chanyeol protested, trying to hold back his whining.

Baekhyun just shrugged, obviously not going to tell Chanyeol what it was, and it had Chanyeol give just the tiniest of pouts. “It’s just a little something, nothing important.”

Chanyeol squinted at Baekhyun for a few seconds, before sighing and turning back around to continue upwards.

“I’ll figure out how to make you spill,” Chanyeol muttered, getting another chuckle in return.

All thoughts of making Baekhyun talk were forgotten as they stepped into Chanyeol’s apartment, and Baekhyun’s eyes went wide as his mouth dropped open.

“Whoa! Holy shit, this is such a pretty apartment! You must be rich to be able to live here!” Baekhyun exclaimed, voice filled with wonder, and it made Chanyeol scratch his head a bit awkwardly, smile a bit twitchy.

“Uh, well, not really, the rent isn’t actually that bad.,” Chanyeol mumbled, undoing his laces to be able to get out of his shoes as Baekhyun was still turning his head this way and that, little gasps and wow’s spilling from his lips. “Come on, I can give you a quick tour if you want to see more?”

The enthusiasm with which Baekhyun got out of his shoes almost had him topple over, and Chanyeol had both hands raised to be able to catch him, but Baekhyun managed to balance himself, looking up at Chanyeol with sparkling eyes.

“I’m ready, let’s go!” Baekhyun exclaimed, and Chanyeol could not help but be reminded of an over-excited puppy. If Baekhyun had had a tail, it would without a doubt have been wagging up a storm by now.

The apartment was not super big, it was a rather small kitchen, an okay bathroom, a decent-sized bedroom, and a somewhat large living room where Chanyeol had divided a part into an amateur studio of sorts, where he would sometimes play around and record some stuff.

And it was by the studio that Baekhyun came to a stop, round eyes going over all of the equipment that Chanyeol had there.

“Hey, isn’t this stuff for recording and shit?” Baekhyun asked as Chanyeol headed into the kitchen, hoping he still had some ice in his freezer.

“Yeah, it is,” Chanyeol called back as he rummaged through the cold storage, managing to pull out a few pieces, wrapping them in a clean kitchen towel. “I’m working with music, my aim is music producer, so I dabble a bit with it during my spare time as well.”

“Oh, really? That’s cool, really cool,” Baekhyun said, glancing up as Chanyeol returned. “You got anything you can show me?”

Holding out a hand, palm up, Chanyeol waited until Baekhyun had placed his injured hand on it before he spoke up.

“I only have a few snippets, they’re not very polished and I have to use my own vocals, so I’m not super comfortable with showing them,” Chanyeol mumbled as he gently placed the ice on top of Baekhyun’s hand, watching a shiver course through his body at the cold.

“Ah, I understand, I won’t pressure you into anything then,” Baekhyun said, offering a gentle smile. “I’ll instead look forward to the day when I hear your songs on the radio, knowing that, oh, this is a song made by the handsome man I once saved from an obnoxious, suit-clad monster.”

Chanyeol chuckled, and he knew that the tips of his ears were red, but he ignored it. The lightning was not the best anyway, maybe it was not so visible.

“I’ll make sure to mention you in my thank you speech when I accept awards, for saving me from the obnoxious, suit-clad monster,” Chanyeol joked, but there was a smidgen of sincerity to it.

He was really thankful for what Baekhyun had done, and to be honest, Chanyeol had no idea where he would have been or what he would have been doing by now had Baekhyun _not_ come and saved him. Chanyeol did not think he would be dead in a ditch or anything like that, but you did not have to be dead to completely fuck up your life. People did it all the time due to relationships and shit.

Yeah, Chanyeol was really grateful for Baekhyun having been there, and he felt like he needed to, no, _wanted_ to, somehow show Baekhyun that. He just did not know how to do it, and he was still trying to come up with something as he pulled Baekhyun towards the sofa to sit down.

“How can I make this up to you?” Chanyeol asked in the end, shaking his head vigorously as Baekhyun opened his mouth, most probably to deny needing anything in exchange. “No, you punched a guy in the face for me, and sure, it was my date, but still! You saved me from a really bad night. So please, let me do something for you?”

Baekhyun closed his mouth, contemplating Chanyeol seriously for a moment, before seemingly deciding on taking him up on his offer, as he shrugged.

“Go out on a date with me.”

Chanyeol felt his face heat up, butterflies filling his stomach, because _what?!_

“You’re pretty good-looking, and, I don’t know, maybe it’s stupid, but I want to give you a nice dating experience,” Baekhyun continued, or had Chanyeol spoken out loud? “I don’t want you to have a bad taste in your mouth after your latest date, and the sooner you get it out, the better, right? Even if we don’t click, I can still be respectful and treat you right.”

Completely floored, Chanyeol nodded before his mind even caught up, but that was fine, because he did not mind going on a date with Baekhyun in the least.

“Yeah, sure, we can do that, I’d love that,” Chanyeol finally responded, making Baekhyun’s entire face light up with the biggest grin he had given so far, and Chanyeol had literally no regrets.

“Great, awesome!” Baekhyun burst out, adorably excited yet again and seemingly just as dazed as Chanyeol was, and that made Chanyeol feel a lot better.

It was not just him that was nervous.

“Oh, we need to exchange numbers then, right!” Baekhyun said, snapping the fingers of his good hand before pulling out his phone. “Hard to go on a date if we don’t have each other’s contact information!”

“Oh, shit, that’s true!” Chanyeol agreed, reciting his number for Baekhyun to punch in, then feeling his own phone vibrate as Baekhyun texted him.

And then they just sat there, on Chanyeol’s sofa, talking until all of the ice had melted and they realized that it was no longer late night but almost early morning, and Baekhyun told Chanyeol goodnight with the gentlest of smiles that Chanyeol felt all the way down to his toes, before turning and walking towards the staircase leading down to the bottom floor. Chanyeol stood by the door, watching as Baekhyun disappeared, not heading back inside before he heard the door leading outside slamming closed.

It was not until Chanyeol was lying in his bed later, about to fall asleep, that he realized that Baekhyun truly had saved his night. The memory of Siwon was still there, like a bad taste at the back of his mouth, but he was severely overshadowed by a droopy-eyed man-sized pup, and Chanyeol actually had a small smile on his face as he succumbed to his dreams.

 

xxx

 

Sehun threw out a ‘told you so!’ when Chanyeol told him about the horrible date the day after, before pulling him into a quick hug. It was over almost before it had begun, but Chanyeol appreciated it nevertheless, as well as what Sehun meant with it. Then Chanyeol told him about Baekhyun and his rescue, and Sehun began to none too gently punch Chanyeol’s upper arm.

“You little shit, if you’d just done what I said and asked him out in the gym, then none of this would’ve happened! You could’ve already gotten laid by now, dude, gah, you’re so stupid!” Sehun exclaimed, punctuating some words with punches, until Chanyeol succeeded in shoving him away.

“Fuck you, it’s not that easy! I didn’t even know he would be interested until last night! Imagine if I just walked up to him, asked him out, and he turned me down? How embarrassing wouldn’t that be?” Chanyeol shot back, actually shivering just from the thought of getting shot down in the middle of a public gym. He would probably never leave his apartment ever again.

“You gotta dare to bet some to win, Chanyeol, you know that! You really expect to get things without putting in the effort?” Sehun asked, making Chanyeol turn to him with a scowl.

“Of course not, but asking a stranger out in a gym is not ‘betting some’, that’s fucking putting your head out to bit off, and you kinda need your head to be able to, you know, _live_ ,” Chanyeol answered, ignoring the eyeroll he got in return. “Whatever, I threw myself out into the anonymous dating sea, got a bit chewed up, but now I’m spotting what might be land, so all is fine. Maybe we were supposed to end up like this, maybe some kind of push was needed or whatever, just be happy for me!”

Sehun sat back with a grunt, a small pout on his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I _am_ happy for you, of course, you’re my best friend, I’m just annoyed you had to deal with McDouche to get there.”

Sighing, Chanyeol patted Sehun’s shoulder. “Well, you know, life is full of shit, and sometimes you gotta go deep into it to find the gold, but whatever, that’s all behind me now. I’m looking forwards, and you should too!”

“Fine, but if I ever see McDouche on the street, I’m punching him in his fucking face.”

“You know Baekhyun already did that, right?”

“So? I’m the best friend, the big brother who threatens the boys to not hurt you in place of your sister, blesless her gentle heart, and he's earned a punch from me too!”

“I really don't need the both of you to end up in jail, idiot.”

“You don't go to jail for punching someone, _idiot_.”

 

xxx

 

Life continued even after the date from hell, even if it came with some changes for Chanyeol. One of them were the daily texts with Baekhyun, that went from hesitant little greetings to full-blown discussions not even a week later. Another was the full retirement of all of Chanyeol’s previous blogs, kept safe but no longer public, as well as the somewhat elimination of the digital trail leading to Chanyeol thanks to a friend of Sehun’s. He could not get rid of everything, and if you dug deep enough, you would find some wisps to piece together, but Chanyeol felt like it was good enough. He had always been careful with his current tumblr, and made sure to keep it that way, still so incredibly thankful and relieved that Siwon had not found it.

(Siwon was also blocked on every site Chanyeol could think of - plus a few more - also thanks to Sehun’s friend. It really seemed to pay off to have close friends who were tech wizards, and Chanyeol started to think that maybe he needed one himself.)

As the weekend creeped closer, Chanyeol’s and Baekhyun’s talks turned towards the promised date, and one Thursday morning, Chanyeol awoke to a text from Baekhyun asking if he was going to be free this coming Saturday. Very enthusiastically, Chanyeol sent of a positive answer before even being positive about being free, but as luck would have it, he had nothing else planned apart from a gym visit with Sehun in the morning. And so, it was decided that their first date would take place on Saturday, with the standard cinema visit followed by a meal somewhere, and even Chanyeol’s colleagues took note of his elevated mood, comments ranging from simply pointing it out, to light teasing. But Chanyeol did not care.

Then Saturday arrived with an early alarm, and Chanyeol woke up after barely having slept anything, and his nerves now with their claws fully clenched into him. Chanyeol tried to vigorously exercise to the point of forgetting about them for a little while, but all it succeeded in accomplishing was giving Sehun a heart-attack from thinking Chanyeol was one wrong move away from accidentally killing himself, and they ended up skipping out early to instead head over to a cafÈ to get Chanyeol some comforting, sugary treats.

When Sehun dropped Chanyeol off outside of his building, Chanyeol was still feeling _very_ nervous, but a bit better, moved over Sehun’s thoughtfulness - because even though Sehun had sighed and called Chanyeol stupid several times, his affection was clear in how he was taking care of Chanyeol. He truly was a great friend.

With nothing to do for a few hours, and a blooming anxiety, Chanyeol decided to try to put his energy into something else, namely messing around with his recording equipment for a while. He knew it would probably not get him fully calm, but it would help, and Chanyeol was taking all the help he could get at this point.

In the end, Chanyeol managed to get through the few hours needed without too many panic attacks, and as he got closer to the time when he needed to start getting ready, he decided to take a long shower - a long, _warm_ shower. They were supposed to help with tension, right?

Baekhyun had been a bit distant through the day, only having sent a ‘goodmorning’ as Chanyeol was heading over to the gym. Chanyeol figured that he was being busy, but it still made him feel a bit anxious. Going from near constant exchange to barely any on the very day they were supposed to go on a date did not seem like the greatest sign, but on the other hand, Chanyeol had not texted Baekhyun either. So he tried not to read too much into it, even if it was constantly at the back of his mind, even as the almost scalding shower beat most of the tension and anxiety out of him.

It was as Chanyeol had just pulled on the chosen shirt (after having tried and declined five other) that his phone vibrated. Quickly checking it, he saw that it was a text from Baekhyun, and Chanyeol heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly unlocked his phone and opened the message.

Was everything okay? Had Baekhyun decided to call off their date? Had he realized he did not actually want to get to know Chanyeol-

 

_My bus was really early, is it okay if I come by yours like rn?_

 

Oh. Oh, okay. That was kind of the opposite of cancelling the date, that was spending even _more_ time together, okay!

 

_Yeah, sure, ofc! Come on over, you still remember the way?_

 

_I think so, lol, otherwise I’ll call you in panic or w/e_

 

Chuckling, Chanyeol sent a reply telling Baekhyun to text when he’s outside, before putting down his phone and hurrying into his closet. He was still pantless, and he could not show up by the door without his freaking pants.

Thankfully, due to being in a rush, it took Chanyeol a lot less time to decide on a pair of jeans, and thank god for that, because the second he had pulled the jeans up, his phone vibrated, letting him know that Baekhyun was outside.

Nearly flying out of his apartment and down the stairs, Chanyeol took a second to reclaim his breath, running his hand through his still unmade hair to try to get it into a semblance of order, before he moved to let Baekhyun inside.

“Hey!” Chanyeol exclaimed as he opened the door and flashed Baekhyun a grin that was quickly returned. “Come in, come in!”

“Thank you very much!” Baekhyun said, following Chanyeol inside and over towards the stairs. “I’m sorry I’m early, but it was either super early or too late, so.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just about done anyway, it’s no worries,” Chanyeol quickly reassured Baekhyun with another smile before he turned back to head up the stairs.

He had barely taken three steps up before he heard Baekhyun chuckle behind him, and that tickled something at the back of Chanyeol’s mind. Coming to a stop, Chanyeol turned around and raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of dejavu wash over him.

Baekhyun was grinning widely, looking extremely amused, even as he was chewing on his lower lip.

“So, hey, do you remember the first time I came here? When you wanted to make sure my hand was okay?” Baekhyun began, and yeah, there it was, that was where that sense of familiarity was coming from. “And I didn’t want to tell you what I was thinking when we were walking up here?”

“Yeah? Are you going to tell me now?” Chanyeol asked, very curious to get to know what the hell it had all been about.

Baekhyun nodded as he pulled his lower lip in between his teeth again, and if Chanyeol was not entirely mistaken, there was a hint of pink to his cheeks.

“Yeah, it didn’t feel right to do it back then, since we’d only just met and everything, and it’s a pretty. Tasteless joke, I guess? But since you’ve already promised me a date, why the hell not, if everything goes down in flames it’s okay anyways,” Baekhyun said with a shrug, and now Chanyeol was not so sure he wanted to know anymore.

“Uh, okay.?”

Baekhyun took a moment, before he dragged in a deep breath, let the words tumble out almost on top of each other in a blur, and then buried his face in his hands.

“How the fuck is your ass so flat when you run up and down these stairs every day, and I’m so sorry!”

Seconds ticked past in silence as Chanyeol first had to work through the words and understand what was being said, which took a bit of effort due to how rushed they had been. And then he had to react to them, but he did not know _how_ to react. Because that meant that Baekhyun had checked his ass out that very first night, and Chanyeol did not know what to do with that information.

Oh, plus the fact that Chanyeol felt _offended_ , because he might not be overly gifted in the butt department, but it was not like it was completely flat! In the right pants it even looked really fucking good!

Taking a step down, crowding the still-hiding Baekhyun, Chanyeol placed his hands on Baekhyun’s face, feeling cool fingers and heated cheeks beneath his own palms.

“Baekhyun. What the fuck?” Chanyeol slowly, and exasperatedly, groaned. “How am I supposed to react to that?! My butt is lovely!”

A snort slipped out from underneath Baekhyun’s hands, developing into a laughter as Chanyeol gasped and began to very gently tug Baekhyun back and forth, until Baekhyun separated his fingers enough to look up at Chanyeol.

“I mean, I’ve only seen it covered, so I can’t really judge the loveliness of it, though it seems very lovely, I’m just confused as to why it’s so _small_ when you obviously get enough training for it to plump it out a little!” Baekhyun rambled, voice a bit muffled and filled with laughter.

“It is plump! It’s a normal-sized butt! Not all of us can have super plump buns!” Chanyeol called out in outrage, freezing up as one of Baekhyun’s eyebrows raised, and the words registered.

“Have you been checking out my ass, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked, sounding so pleased, as he removed his hands, and not even his slightly red face could ruin the expression on his face.

“I-I, uhm, you admitted to it first!” Chanyeol exclaimed, feeling his own face go up in flames. How had this turned on him?!

“Maybe, but still, you’ve checked out mine enough to know it’s plump,” Baekhyun basically purred, and Chanyeol’s blush deepend. “I mean, I normally wear pretty baggy clothes, even at the gym, so you must’ve caught me at very special times to know that much.”

Chanyeol promptly let go of Baekhyun’s face and stomped his way up the stairs to the sound of Baekhyun’s delighted, high-pitched laughter, fleeing instead of continuing to make a fool out of himself.

He still left his door open for Baekhyun, though. So he was not that upset about how easily Baekhyun had turned the tables. And after all, Baekhyun had checked out his ass, and that was pretty fucking neat.

Baekhyun found Chanyeol in his bathroom, where he was fixing the last of his hair and trying to cool his cheeks. Arms crossed over his chest, Baekhyun leaned against the doorway, looking a bit more sober now.

“Hey, Chanyeol. I’m sorry about before, I hope you’re not feeling too uncomfortable with it?”

Baekhyun’s words had Chanyeol lock their gazes through the mirror in confusion.

“What? No, it’s fine, really. It’s not that bad, I’m used to jokes like that,” Chanyeol quickly reassured Baekhyun. “I get a bit flustered, but I swear I don’t dislike it or anything like that!”

Baekhyun slumped a little as he exhaled, looking very relieved as a small smile appeared on his lips.

“Oh, good, that’s good. Sometimes I don’t know where the limits go and when to stop, and I know I can get a bit too much sometimes. Just let me know when that happens?”

“Sure,” Chanyeol nodded, turning back to his own reflection. “And, I mean. I don’t mind knowing you’re, well, checking out at least one part of me, that means there’s an interest, right?”

Baekhyun’s grin was wide and rectangular, and so very charming.

“Does more parts equal more interest? Because in that case there’s a lot of interest,” Baekhyun answered, throwing in a wink as well, and Chanyeol’s goal of getting his skin back to its normal color was completely ruined.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you just said that.,” Chanyeol got out in a hushed whisper, and Baekhyun laughed.

“There’s a tiny smile on your face, though! I can see it!” Baekhyun exclaimed, laughter turning into a cackle as Chanyeol reached out with a long leg to swipe at Baekhyun, completely missing. “Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone so you can finish up looking good for me, I’ll be in the living room!”

“Maybe I regret allowing you to tease me!” Chanyeol called out after the retreating Baekhyun, but there was no bite to his words, and there actually was a smile on his face, no matter how much he tried to hold it back.

They made some small talk as they walked over to the cinema, just getting to know each other even more than they had through texts, and Chanyeol had the best time he had had with someone who was not an old friend in a long time. There were no red flags whatsoever, and even if Baekhyun acted respectfully and like a gentleman, it was not in that demeaning kind of way that Siwon had. All in all, it was perfect before the date had even properly started.

The movie they had chosen was a mess, but it only lend itself for more jokes between them, and they spent the one and a half hour laughing their asses off, even getting shushed twice and told to shut up once. And even if Chanyeol knew that they were being incredibly rude, he could not help but love it, as he and Baekhyun were sitting bent over, head so close together, both with hands over their mouths to try to hold back from laughing out loud. As they exited the cinema, they were both drying away tears, wobbling and supporting each other as they made their way towards the closest fast food restaurant.

Their conversation flowed naturally between a thousand different topics, everything from heaven down to hell, with the both of them switching down new tracks randomly whenever a new thought struck them. At times, it became really messy, unable to find the thread they had been going after, but they just laughed it off and continued with something else. It was so very different from all the other dates Chanyeol had been to, and towards the end of it, his abs were hurting so much he knew they would be sore in the morning, but Chanyeol did not care.

He was way too ecstatic, so truly happy.

“You know, I’m actually pretty happy I went on that date with Siwon.,” Chanyeol began, shrugging a little as Baekhyun raised a single eyebrow in question (and slight disbelief, it looked like). “I mean, it ended with you saving me and asking for a date, and led to this, and this is pretty awesome, so.”

Baekhyun was silent for a moment, face unreadable and making Chanyeol nervous, before he let out something between a sigh and a chuckle.

“You-. That’s pretty stupid but cute,” Baekhyun said, making Chanyeol sputter. “I mean, yeah, this is pretty awesome, and I’m happy about it, but I’m _extremely_ unhappy this had to happen because of that stupid date. No, I wish I’d walked up to you during one of those times you and your friend were talking about dating in the gym and asked you out, that would’ve been better.”

Chanyeol felt dread fill him at Baekhyun’s words, half not believing what he was hearing.

“You heard when we were talking about that.?” Chanyeol managed to get out, to which Baekhyun nodded and smiled, a shade of teasing over it.

“Your friend is really bad at being quiet about things, and you’re not much better, honestly,” Baekhyun answered, and as his smile turned into a smirk, Chanyeol actually gulped, fearing what Baekhyun might have overheard. After all, there had been a mention or two about Baekhyun. “Unfortunately, the tall, tanned one is already taken, but the short, cute one is _very_ interested.”

Oh, yeah. Baekhyun had heard that. _Shit!_

“I-I’m so sorry,” Chanyeol blurted, heat filling his cheeks alongside mortification. “ _So_ sorry, shit, I hate Sehun, I’m going to kill him the next time I see him-”

Baekhyun’s laugh cut off Chanyeol’s ramblings, and Chanyeol was once more struck by how completely _entrancing_ Baekhyun looked, smiling so widely, eyes like small crescents, that he nearly missed Baekhyun’s words.

“No, don’t worry about it, it’s fine! I mean, it’s nice knowing that at least your friend, was it Sehun? Yeah, that at least Sehun thinks I’m cute. I kinda hoped that you might feel the same, giving me at least a smidgen of hope, since I find you very cute too.”

“I’m not cute,” Chanyeol muttered, covering his flaming face with both hands as Baekhyun burst out laughing again.

“You’re really fucking cute, Chanyeol, and that’s completely fine,” Baekhyun argued as he reached out to pull Chanyeol’s hands from his face, keeping a firm yet gentle grip on them afterwards as he smiled _oh so softly_ at Chanyeol, making Chanyeol’s heart skip several beats. “You’re so tall and muscular, almost intimidating only in your stature, and then you sometimes frown, and that makes you look even hotter, but then. When one sees you around your friends, or get the opportunity to get to know you, you realize that in reality, you’re just a big softie! So warm and gentle and excitable, innocent and cute, _adorable_ , like a labrador pup or something. I want to bring you home and wrap you in a blanket and cuddle you and feed you until you’re full, and then just pat your hair and cheeks until you fall asleep, and protect you from all of the dangers of this dark world!”

That was a lot of words, and a lot of confessions, and Chanyeol was absolutely sure that his heart was done for. It was exhausted and strained, and about to give in - but if he had Baekhyun there to take care of him, Chanyeol did not think he would care too much, honestly. Who needed a heart when you could have Baekhyun wrapping you and feeding you and cuddling you? Not Chanyeol, nope!

And it was in that very second that Chanyeol realized that, _oh_ , he had fallen for Baekhyun. A budding crush in his chest, watered by Baekhyun’s adoration, close to start to expand, and _oh._

“That sounds lovely,” Chanyeol breathed out after taking a few moments to collect himself. “Please kidnap me.”

Once again, Chanyeol was blessed by the musical sound of Baekhyun’s laughter, as Baekhyun promised that he would kidnap Chanyeol, how often as Chanyeol wanted. And Chanyeol kind of loved that.

He kind of loved that a lot.

 

xxx

 

“Hey, I almost didn’t recognize you!”

Chanyeol turned around at the surprised voice, grinning widely as he saw Baekhyun’s eyes dart around his face.

“You like it?” Chanyeol asked as he began to fiddle with the hood he had up to shield his head from the wind.

“Like it? It looks awesome!” Baekhyun exclaimed, literally beaming, and Chanyeol felt his own smile stretch wider. “You look so fluffy and soft I can’t believe it! You know what, I might have to kidnap you real soon and pamper you!”

Chanyeol had become rather used to the feeling of the tips of his ears burning by now, because somehow, Baekhyun managed to make it happen _a lot_. But he honestly did not mind it too much, even if he felt a bit bashful at the praise.

“Maybe you should, in a few days it’ll be gone,” Chanyeol teased, chuckling at the offended face Baekhyun pulled.

“What, why?! It looks great, why is it disappearing?!” Baekhyun exclaimed, so loudly that a few people actually turned around, and Chanyeol hurried to hook their arms and pull Baekhyun along.

“This is only a middle step, I’m going grey, but you can’t bleach your hair too much at once or else it’ll fall out,” Chanyeol explained as they headed inside of the cafÈ they were going to. Work was hectic for the both of them, which meant only short coffee dates every now and then, but Chanyeol was just happy Baekhyun was making the effort at all.

“You’re going grey? Wow, you’re really out to kill me, aren’t you?” Baekhyun said with a chuckle, shrugging as Chanyeol shot him a confused look. “You already looked good in your brown hair, you look adorable in this blonde, and if pulled off right, grey looks amazing, and with your track record, you’ll probably pull it off perfectly. So my heart is at risk here.”

“Now you know how I feel every time I see you,” Chanyeol softly sighed, enjoying the faint red dusting itself across Baekhyun’s cheeks. It was nice knowing that Chanyeol was not the only flustered person in this relationship.

“So cheesy,” Baekhyun tutted, shaking his head, but he was not able to fully hide his smile. “Good thing I love it.”

Okay, yeah, maybe they both could fluster each other, but it was really fucking obvious that Baekhyun was better at it, as Chanyeol ducked his head and dug his hands into the large pocket of his hoodie, his face several degrees hotter than it had been just seconds ago. Baekhyun took pity on him and ordered for him too, allowing Chanyeol to gather himself.

 

Maybe needless to say, but Baekhyun made a fool out of himself the first time he saw Chanyeol in his grey hair, clutching at his chest, wincing and whining, looking about two seconds from collapsing, and Chanyeol was so very grateful that they were inside and not out on the streets for everyone to stare at them.

(Even if Chanyeol found the reaction very flattering, maybe standing up a bit straighter than normal and preening a little, even as the tips of his ears colored red.)

 

xxx

 

No matter how much Chanyeol loved spending time with Baekhyun, there was still a matter on his mind that kept him from _fully_ enjoying it, as much as he knew he could. There were still some secrets between them, and sure, that was pretty natural since they had just recently met, but some of these secrets.

No, _the_ secret, was a bit too big and heavy on Chanyeol’s mind to let him just mess around with Baekhyun without any concerns. And maybe Chanyeol should not feel as guilty about it, maybe he should not feel so bad about it, because in the end it was all up to him, his choice, and truly something he enjoyed, but. Logic was not always so logical, and feelings were even more rarely so.

The thing was, Baekhyun was a pretty open guy. He seemed to mesh pretty perfectly with all that was Chanyeol, and they had a lot of fun together, letting Chanyeol know that there were a lot of likenesses between the two of them. Sure, everyone said that ‘opposites attract’ and all that shit, but Chanyeol was more a firm believer of similar children playing the best together, and so far, him and Baekhyun were playing _really_ good together. So Chanyeol knew that if anyone would be okay with things, it would most probably be Baekhyun. He was just that sort of supportive person, but there was still some hesitation for Chanyeol about telling Baekhyun that his fling was a somewhat famous 19+ tumblr model and blogger. That was a pretty big thing to be okay with.

So Chanyeol decided that he needed to talk with Baekhyun. It was just that _deciding_ on it, and actually _doing_ it, was two vastly different things that left Chanyeol turning in his bed long into the night.

But then, as Baekhyun was over at Chanyeol’s place one night, Chanyeol just snapped, unable to take it anymore. He was pretty sure Baekhyun had noticed something during the last few days, considering how distraught Chanyeol had been, but it seemed like he was giving Chanyeol space to figure himself out.

Chanyeol kind of wished Baekhyun had tried to push him - that had probably made coming clean so much easier. But, oh well. In the end, Chanyeol managed to do it anyway.

They were sitting in the sofa, watching a movie Chanyeol could not remember, unable to focus on it as his thoughts were spinning inside of his head. It was so stupid, really, how nervous he was about this, he just needed to open his fucking mouth and speak the words!

But Chanyeol also really did not want to distance Baekhyun, he did not want to fuck up and have Baekhyun slip between his fingers, because Baekhyun was great. He was so warm and lovely, and so caring, and just. Perfect. Perfect in his imperfections, because even though Chanyeol was pretty much seeing Baekhyun through rose-colored glasses, he was also an adult, and knew that perfection was not achievable.

(But Baekhyun was pretty fucking close, in Chanyeol’s humble opinion.)

And Chanyeol wanted to hold on to Baekhyun, so tightly with both his hands, and to be able to do that, Chanyeol knew that he needed to tell him. No matter how ill he was suddenly starting to feel.

“Baekhyun.,” Chanyeol slowly began, braiding his fingers together as he kept his eyes on them, trying not to fidget too much. “I-I, uh, I have something I have to tell you.”

Baekhyun stiffened next to him, letting out a slow breath as he seemed to force himself to relax, before placing a hand on Chanyeol’s thigh.

“Okay. Are you okay?” Baekhyun asked, and Chanyeol could not help but let out a somewhat sad little chuckle.

“Uh, I don’t know?” Chanyeol answered, Baekhyun watching him for a moment before taking Chanyeol’s hands in his and gently squeezing them.

“I know I’ve been saying okay like ten times now, but okay,” Baekhyun said, a small smile on his lips that Chanyeol mirrored. “Maybe you should just tell me, then?”

Chanyeol nodded, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He wanted to open his eyes, to be able to see Baekhyun’s face when he told him, but Chanyeol realized that there was no way he was brave enough to do that right now. So instead, Chanyeol kept his eyes closed, his grip on Baekhyun tightening.

“I have a pretty popular tumblr blog where I post some maybe not so work safe images and videos!” Chanyeol rushed out, not even knowing if Baekhyun could understand his words from how quickly he was speaking, but he really hoped he was because Chanyeol was not sure he could say it again, at least not without puking, and-

And Baekhyun was not saying anything. Unable to take the silence, Chanyeol cracked one eye open, finding Baekhyun sitting and staring at him. Opening both of his eyes, Chanyeol was about to try to say something, _anything_ , when Baekhyun blinked, and then burst out laughing.

Chanyeol was silent for a while, not understanding what was going on, getting more and more flustered as Baekhyun pulled one of his hands away to slap over his mouth.

“Wh-what? Why are you laughing?!” Chanyeol finally got out, knowing and hearing that he was whining, but he was just really confused!

“Oh, baby! You’re so cute,” Baekhyun managed to get out in between laughing, freeing his second hand as well to be able to cup Chanyeol’s cheeks. “ _That_ was what you were so worried about telling me?”

“Of course I was!” Chanyeol exclaimed, cheeks warming beneath Baekhyun’s hands. “I didn’t know how you would react to me basically telling you that I’m posting nudes for the world to see online! Wait. Why are you so calm about this.?”

Baekhyun had calmed down by then, but he began to chuckle again at Chanyeol’s question, leaning forwards to place a quick peck on Chanyeol’s nose that had Chanyeol wrinkle it as it tickled.

“Because, first of all, I don’t see the problem with it, as long as you’re having fun,” Baekhyun began, before giving a shrug, “and second of all, because I have close friends who are pretty famous tumblrs as well.”

Chanyeol startled at that, eyes going wide. “You do?”

“Yeah, I do,” Baekhyun answered with a nod, pulling back his hands to pull out his phone, and Chanyeol’s eyes continued to widen as he watched Baekhyun type, because this was not happening, this could not be happening.

But then the page loaded, and Baekhyun held the screen for Chanyeol to be able to take a proper look, and it was happening - Baekhyun had pulled up the tumblr of _Dyo &Kai _, one of Chanyeol’s favorite tumblrs, and Chanyeol was pretty sure he was close to passing out.

And then another thought crossed Chanyeol’s mind, and he felt a bit like screaming, honestly.

“Oh my god. I can’t believe this, I really can’t,” Chanyeol blabbered, looking over at the still-smiling Baekhyun. “The guy at the gym, that you’ve been working out with, is that-”

As Chanyeol stopped talking with a choke, Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting a continuation that Chanyeol was unable to give as shock was taking over, so after a few seconds Baekhyun gave a nod.

“If you’re asking if that was ‘Kai’ from this blog, then yeah, that’s him,” Baekhyun confirmed, and Chanyeol was just barely breathing by now, because _holy shit he had been working out in the same gym as freaking Kai!_ “Kyungsoo doesn’t like working out, so I’ve had to volunteer sometimes, Jongin doesn’t like doing it on his own.”

Surprise brought Chanyeol back down to earth, blinking down at Baekhyun. “Kyungsoo? Jongin?”

Baekhyun also blinked a few times, before smiling. “Right, they don’t use their real names on the blog. Kyungsoo and Jongin, Dyo and Kai. You realize you’ll be meeting them, probably pretty soon, right?”

Chanyeol had not realized that, and now he was sure he was only seconds away from passing out.

“Hey, by the way, you know you have to show me your blog now, right?” Baekhyun spoke up, bringing Chanyeol out of his internal panicking. Just to make way for another kind of panic.

The thing was, Chanyeol was pretty shy. He could act all confident and whatever, he could be the loud and social butterfly, sure, but he was at his core pretty shy. And he was _really_ shy about his tumblr. He was still not sure Sehun would know about it yet if Sehun had not stumbled over it himself. How he had done that, Chanyeol did not know, but he suspected it had something to do with Chanyeol sometimes being reckless and not thinking, checking his notifications with Sehun around, but whatever. Sehun had been whining some about seeing stuff he had really not needed to see from his best friend, but he had also quickly made it clear that he was fully supporting Chanyeol and not thinking any less of him for it or anything like that.

Now, to grant Baekhyun access to his tumblr. That was truly nerve-wracking and horrible. But Chanyeol also knew that Baekhyun kind of deserved to know, considering they were kind of dating, and Baekhyun needed to have all of the pieces to be able to make his decision about if he wanted to continue things or not - though it really seemed to be leaning towards the former, which Chanyeol was immensely relieved about.

And maybe that relief played some part in Chanyeol reaching out and snatching Baekhyun’s phone out of his hand, swiftly typing in the address he could probably recite by heart whilst in a coma, before throwing the phone into Baekhyun’s lap and bending over to press his face into his thighs.

_Fuckfuckfuck-_

“Well, I be damned.”

That. Did not sound too disgusted.?

“Oh, wow. Chanyeol- wow.”

Nope, no disgust detected. Maybe.?

“I can’t believe I saw your naked ass on a screen before in real life, wow.”

Chanyeol groaned into his jeans, because _fucking really?_ That was what Baekhyun had to say?

Suddenly, a hand appeared in Chanyeol’s hair, carding through it and scratching at his scalp, and Chanyeol kind of relaxed into the touch. His body was starting to ache from the position, but he did not fancy moving just yet, so he stayed put.

“Hey, wait, calm down, I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just- I recognize this blog, I’ve seen your pictures before,” Baekhyun explained in a low voice, so close that Chanyeol could feel his breath flutter his hair. Frowning, Chanyeol turned his head just slightly, enough to be able to peek at Baekhyun, who flashed him a reassuring, soft smile. A _lovely_ smile, to be honest. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, and if this end with me in a chokehold or any other position that risks my life, you’ll have to save me, deal?”

Even more confused, Chanyeol straightened up, wincing a little at his sore back, Baekhyun following.

“What are you talking about?” Chanyeol asked, but Baekhyun shook his head.

“No, you have to promise to help me before I say a word! I need your explicit word on being my savior should things happen!” Baekhyun insisted, and Chanyeol slowly began to nod, so curious by now that he did not really know what else to do. “Say it out loud, baby.”

“I promise I’ll try my best to save should the need arise,” Chanyeol drawled, pursing his lips a bit at how Baekhyun had commanded him, but the promise was still honest and genuine. Of course he would protect Baekhyun, he did not need to make any promises about it, he was so whipped it would happen anyway!

Pinching Chanyeol’s thigh, Baekhyun seemed to deem it enough of a punishment, as he opened his mouth to continue.

“I’ve seen your blog before because Jongin loves it, it’s one of his favorite blogs,” Baekhyun said, dropping probably the biggest bomb of the evening, and Chanyeol truly could not wrap his mind around it. It was too unbelievable. After everything that had been said during the last like twenty minutes, _this_ was the single most unbelievable thing, and so, Chanyeol refused to believe it. He simply could not. “It’s actually pretty cute, and had he not been in a very happy relationship, I’m pretty sure he’d be crushing hard on you. Another secret, or maybe confession. I'm actually pretty ecstatic he's tied so irrevocably to Kyungsoo, because that means I have a chance with you, and I'm pretty fucking happy that I do.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened at Baekhyun’s bashfully uttered words, but as a self-deprecating chuckle slipped from Baekhyun’s lips, Chanyeol frowned.

“You'd have a chance with me no matter what, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said, word ringing so true, echoing through his soul. “I don't know Ka- Jongin, but I know you, and I know I'd give you a chance in all of my lives. How can I not, considering how hard you've made me fall for you-”

Chanyeol was not sure who was the most surprised by the words - him or Baekhyun - but it did not matter. They were out, and they were the truth, so fuck everything else.

Clearing his throat, Chanyeol did not even try to force the heat in his cheeks away, it would have been a lost cause anyway. Instead, he took Baekhyun’s limp, slightly cool, hand into one of his own, rubbing it gently to try to warm it a little, as he opened his mouth with the goal to reassure.

Baekhyun really did not have anything to worry about.

“Ever since the first time I saw you, I thought you were really cute. You always seemed so happy, and I found that really lovely. Back then, I would probably have said yes if you asked me out, but after you literally punched a dude in the face and saved me from probably the worst night in my life, there was no doubt about me saying yes. I really thought you were an angel, sent to me by god or whoever to rescue me, because I’m not kidding, I was _praying_ for somebody to come over and do something. And then you appeared, you saw that I was uncomfortable, and you pissed someone off just to get me out of there. How could I ever say no to that? And no, it was not just to pay you back or something, the whole going on a date with you deal, I actually started falling for real that night.” Chanyeol trailed off a little, feeling a bit bashful for revealing everything like this, but the incredulous look in Baekhyun’s eyes gave Chanyeol the small push needed to continue. “And ever since, you’ve just continued to make me fall deeper and deeper, with everything you do. I know I’m a bit strange, I’m tall and muscular and imposing and whatever else they’re saying, but I’m also really needy and shy, and you’ve managed to make me feel comfortable around you quicker than probably anyone else. You seem really fucking perfect to me, Baekhyun, fitting me like a puzzle piece, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Or anyone else, because I have a feeling it will take a lot of searching to find me anyone that even comes close to you.”

Unable to say another word, having let it all out, Chanyeol fell silent. His face felt like it was burning with a thousand suns, his heart was seriously attempting to make its way out of his chest, and his mind was dizzyingly empty, but Baekhyun’s previously lax grip having turned into iron around Chanyeol’s hand held him back from bolting.

If Baekhyun did not say anything soon, Chanyeol might have to bolt anyway, though, to maybe empty his stomach into the toilet or some shit like that. Chanyeol thought he had suffered from nerves before in his life, but nothing, _nothing_ , came even close to this. This was fucking _horrible_.

“You’re not strange.”

Baekhyun’s words were so sudden that Chanyeol barely picked them, nor understood them, turning to the shorter man with eyes wide.

“Huh?” Chanyeol asked, watching as a frown appeared on Baekhyun’s face, before he looked up and their eyes locked.

“You’re not strange. Not at all, far from it. You’re an amazing and beautiful man, and anyone who thinks you’re strange are _wrong_. There’s nothing wrong about being needy and shy, you can be both tall and shy, your size doesn’t mean you have to be in any specific way,” Baekhyun said, voice surprisingly hard, with an edge to it that Chanyeol did not quite understand. But in the next second, the frown disappeared, and Baekhyun looked thoughtful instead. “Okay, wait, actually, there’s this thing, they say that short people are often loud and annoying, like chihuahuas, and considering Kyungsoo, I’d actually say that that’s a real thing-”

“You’re short, loud and annoying too,” Chanyeol butted in, with the _best_ of intentions in mind as he was saying it, because he truly loved that about Baekhyun. And he kind of wanted to lighten the mood a little.

Gasping, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol in incredulous surprise, like he could not believe what Chanyeol had just said, and Chanyeol tried to hold back a grin as he shrugged.

“What the fuck, you did _not_ just call me short, loud and annoying!” Baekhyun got out with a disbelieving laugh, starting to move, and Chanyeol sunk back as a panicked giggle slipped through his lips. “Take that back this very instant!”

“Momma taught me to always tell the truth!” Chanyeol half-screamed just before Baekhyun threw himself over him, fingers digging into Chanyeol’s sides and making him writhe on the sofa as a high-pitched laughter was torn from his throat.

Pleads and laughter filled the air, all the tension bleeding away, and even if Chanyeol absolutely _hated_ being tickled, he had to admit that it helped after their, well, not _heavy_ but somewhat _straining_ conversation. Thankfully, Baekhyun took pity on him pretty quickly, letting up with the tickling and sitting back with both of his hands on Chanyeol’s shoulders.

It was not until then that Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun was straddling him, keeping him trapped against the back of the sofa, and there was just something about this position, and how they were panting in exertion.

Baekhyun’s mind seemed to go in similar paths, eyes darkening just slightly as his tongue slipped out to wet his lips, and Chanyeol _felt_ that. Then Baekhyun opened his mouth, clearly about to say something, but Chanyeol beat him to it.

“Yes,” Chanyeol rushed out, voice barely above a whisper. “Please.”

Baekhyun’s lips turned up in a wry smile, and he as he slowly began to lean closer, Chanyeol felt his breath shorten.

“I didn’t even say anything,” Baekhyun murmured, so close that Chanyeol could almost feel their lips brush.

“You didn’t need to,” Chanyeol got out, hands coming up to clench around Baekhyun’s hips, just before Baekhyun _finally_ closed the last of the distance between them.

The kiss was heated from the very beginning - no mere presses as they got used to each other, got used to kissing each other for the first time, no. Immediately, Baekhyun’s hands moved, one tangling into the hair at the back of Chanyeol’s head, while the other settled on his jaw, and Chanyeol leaned into it as he let Baekhyun deepen the kiss, gasps slipping through their opened mouths. Baekhyun’s tongue flicked out, almost hesitantly moving, before starting to curl more against Chanyeol’s, and suddenly Chanyeol’s head was spinning.

Fire burst through Chanyeol’s heart, replacing all of the blood in his veins as he allowed Baekhyun to take control, sinking back down into the sofa as Baekhyun was doing his damndest to melt them into it. And if they continued like this, Chanyeol would not be surprised if he succeeded.

As everything grew hazier, Chanyeol’s hands tightened around Baekhyun’s hips, causing him to slide forwards, and Chanyeol tore his mouth free to moan as delicious friction sent sharp sensations throughout his body. Baekhyun’s mouth wandered down to Chanyeol’s neck, sucking and licking and nibbling as he began to move as well as he could with how they were sitting.

It did not take long before Chanyeol was a trembling mess, positively clinging to Baekhyun, and it became very apparent just _how_ long it had been since he had done anything like this.

“B-Baek- ple- _ah_ -please-,” Chanyeol managed to stutter, much like his poor heart in his chest.

“Please what?” Baekhyun murmured as he made his way up to Chanyeol’s lips once more, swallowing Chanyeol’s first try to tell him what he wanted.

“Not like this, please, I-I want you,” Chanyeol answered after he had finally been allowed to take a few breaths again.

“How?” Baekhyun urged, blunt nails scratching at Chanyeol’s scalp, drawing deep shivers out of him.

“Top me,” Chanyeol whispered, and Baekhyun stilled.

“Well, fuck,” Baekhyun mumbled, sounding almost a bit choked, and then he was standing and almost stumbling, one hand out in an offer for Chanyeol. “Come on then, baby, bedroom it is, I guess?”

Nodding, Chanyeol ignored the warmth across his face as he took Baekhyun’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled upright and then down the hallway to his bedroom.

“Undress and get on the bed, baby,” Baekhyun said as they arrived, before looking around. “Lube and condom?”

“First drawer,” Chanyeol responded, nodding towards the bedside table before he started to do as told.

It did not take long before Baekhyun was nude and hovering over Chanyeol, pressing soft kisses down his spine to help him relax around his fingers, stretching Chanyeol so well that there was barely any discomfort even though it had been so long since Chanyeol had done anything like this. Because sure, Chanyeol had toys, but there was a difference between toys and the real deal, and Chanyeol had never dared buying anything towards the bigger end of the scale, nor had he actually used his toys _that_ much. And Baekhyun was not super big, but he was a bit bigger than Chanyeol’s toys, filling him so perfectly that Chanyeol did not overly mind how almost embarrassingly fast he arched off the bed and painted his own chest and Baekhyun’s hand white.

At least Baekhyun did not hold out much longer, and he did promise, as he laid panting next to Chanyeol, that if Chanyeol just waited a little bit, Baekhyun would show him how good he _actually_ was. A bit cheekily, Chanyeol had asked him to please do, before snuggling closer to his laughing boyfriend, smiling happily as Baekhyun threw a leg over his waist and held him close.

“You really do have a lovely ass, by the way,” Baekhyun whispered against Chanyeol’s temple _just_ before Chanyeol slipped down into a nap, making Chanyeol groan and pinch Baekhyun’s nipple (gently) in retaliation. Baekhyun just laughed even more.

 

xxx

 

The next day found Chanyeol sitting at a small booth, Baekhyun to his side, and his two, well, to be honest, _idols_ in front of him. _Dyo &Kai _, or Do Kyungsoo and Kim Jongin as they were really called, looked so much softer and warmer in real life, and Chanyeol was still amazed that he was seeing them in flesh, and not just. Their flesh on screen. Wow, that sounded way too creepy in his head.

Introductions had gone pretty well, Kyungsoo flashing a warm, heart-shaped smile as he gave a small bow, and Jongin had the barest of smiles on his face as he also gave a bow, mumbling out his hello as he fiddled with his fingers in his lap, clearly just as nervous as Chanyeol. Chanyeol felt blessed that he was not the only one, but still felt bad for Jongin being so shy, he really did not need to, especially not around Chanyeol. No, Chanyeol already (platonically, in a kind of idolizing way) loved Jongin, so there really was no need for it.

But Jongin was shy, and Chanyeol was shy and star-struck, and after their orders had arrived, silence settled over the booth.

“This is so embarrassing,” Chanyeol mumbled, barely able to even look at anyone, almost groaning out loud as he realized he had not _thinked_ the words, but actually spoken them. Fuck him and his loopy brain, right?

“Why?” Baekhyun chuckled. “Because you’ve jacked off to them?”

Eyes growing round, Chanyeol gasped as he looked over at Baekhyun in horror, entire face feeling as if it was set aflame. Spluttering, he could not get a single word out, embarrassment short-circuiting his brain.

“You don’t have to worry, Chanyeol-ah, I’m pretty sure Jongin has gotten off to you a few times too,” Kyungsoo said, smile half-reassuring, and half-teasing.

“ _Kyungsoo!_ “ Jongin hissed in a high-pitched, yet surprisingly silent, voice, face looking as red as Chanyeol’s felt.

“W-wait, what? For real?” Chanyeol managed to stammer out, feeling something akin to pride grow in his chest.

Immediately, Jongin’s eyes dropped to the table as he scratched his neck, shrugging a little.

“I mean, you have a really great body, and like. Yeah.,” Jongin whispered, and even though Chanyeol just barely caught the words, it still had him give a shy smile.

“Ah, shit, wow, thank you,” Chanyeol mumbled back, looking down at his hands in his lap. “You have a really great body too, just so you know.”

“If you’re going to turn this into a circle jerk, then maybe we should go somewhere a bit more private?” Baekhyun suggested, obnoxiously winking at Chanyeol, who pinched his thigh, whilst Jongin hissed out a ‘hyung!’.

And Chanyeol might be cursing Baekhyun to the inner circle of hell and back, but the little teasing had helped ease the awkwardness a little. Chanyeol felt a bit better, Jongin seemed to be feeling more comfortable too, and Baekhyun and Kyungsoo seemed to fall into an easy-going banter as well, which only helped the atmosphere even more.

“I can’t believe that it’s taken literal _weeks_ for us to actually meet up,” Kyungsoo mused, chin leaned on a hand as his other hand was playing with the fingers of the hand that Jongin had placed on his thigh, and Chanyeol got a feeling that it was to make Jongin feel more comfortable. _Cute._

“We’ve been busy,” Baekhyun said with a shrug. “I didn’t even know about Chanyeol’s blog until yesterday, and he didn’t know I know you guys.”

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at that. “So you decided to throw him at us the very next day? Damn, that’s almost mean, Baek.”

“Meh, he was bound to meet you soon enough anyway, and even if he’s looking a bit scared, he’s actually really excited,” Baekhyun said, turning to Chanyeol with a little soft smile. “Aren’t you, Chanyeollie?”

“Well, yeah, of course, a bit shocked, but yeah,” Chanyeol said, nodding to show that he really was telling the truth. It was really cool meeting Kyungsoo and Jongin, not only because Chanyeol somewhat idolized them, but also because they were Baekhyun’s friends. Another part of Baekhyun’s life, and Chanyeol kind of wanted to know all of the different facets to his boyfriend and his life. Chanyeol suspected it came with being in love and all that jazz.

“See, no worries!” Baekhyun beamed as he turned back to Kyungsoo, who just chuckled lightly and shook his head.

Orders were made, paid for and picked up, the smalltalk picking up for real, and after a while they were all comfortable enough with each other to pull of some jokes even. Baekhyun had Jongin laughing until he was near tears, Chanyeol not far behind because even though he did not find it as funny as Jongin clearly did, Baekhyun’s crooked grin and Jongin’s high-pitched laugh was enough to affect Chanyeol to the point of slamming the table and Baekhyun’s arm and thigh with his palm. Kyungsoo was also laughing, but Chanyeol suspected it was more because of Chanyeol and his slapping, but Chanyeol was okay with that.

Then they settled down a little to try to get through their half-eaten meals, giving Jongin the chance to calm down and put himself back together, his forehead on the table as he hissed something about aching abs that had Chanyeol let out a little giggle before he managed to hold back.

“Chanyeol-ah, did you know that we have a few photos of Baekhyun up on our tumblr?” Kyungsoo asked, making Chanyeol turn to him, eyes wide.

“What, are you fucking with me?” Chanyeol blurted out before his (non-existent?) brain to mouth filter managed to step in, but Kyungsoo only let out a laugh as he shook his head.

“No, I’m serious. I wanted to get some more practice and he knew about it all, so we decided to try it out, and since the pictures turned out pretty okay, we decided to post them,” Kyungsoo said, Baekhyun letting out an affronted “Pretty okay? They were great!” from beside Chanyeol.

“Why didn’t you tell me about that?” Chanyeol asked as he turned to look down at Baekhyun, who was leaned back, playing with his spoon against his lips, sometimes chewing on it.

Baekhyun merely shrugged as he looked up at Chanyeol, aiming for nonchalant, but not quite succeeding. “Didn’t think about it, really. You only let me know about your blog yesterday and I had a lot of other things on my mind, _which I think you know and appreciated_ , so I just kinda forgot.”

Chanyeol squinted, pursing his lips as he tried to read Baekhyun. It was not easy, because even though they had gotten to know each other quickly, he was still not great at figuring Baekhyun out, but he tried his best.

“Or are you nervous about showing me them.?” Chanyeol slowly guessed, almost whooping in happiness as Baekhyun sunk a bit further down, the barest of hints of pink across his cheeks. “That’s it, isn’t it? Wow, the mighty, cocky Baekhyun, actually feeling nervous about something? I never thought I’d see the day!”

“Watch it, or I’ll shut you up with my mighty cock,” Baekhyun muttered, making Jongin choke on air or something, but Chanyeol just grinned. It was fun being able to affect Baekhyun too! “Okay, yeah, fine, whatever! I did a few shots, they turned out great, but it’s still fucking nerve-wracking, and I guess I understood you better than I let on yesterday, and you can see them if you want to, happy?”

“Ecstatic,” Chanyeol hummed, feeling all soft and warm inside at Baekhyun’s pout. He looked _adorable_.

“Wow, I never thought I’d see the day when somebody made Baekhyun this soft, amazing,” Jongin spoke up, aiming it towards Kyungsoo, but it was obvious that it was a jab at Baekhyun.

“That’s far from all he makes me, but tell me, Jongin, did you pick that particular gym because you liked it, or because you found out that Chanyeol works out there?” Baekhyun smoothly shot back even as he slid closer to Chanyeol, wrapping an arm around one of Chanyeol’s and snuggling close.

“That was completely unintentional, I started working out there before he did!” Jongin defended himself even as his face started to heat up again.

“Does that mean.?” Kyungsoo began, letting the question hang in the air as he turned towards Chanyeol, whose face burned up as well.

“No! My best friend worked out there, and I decided to tag along since all the hours of sitting down was starting to get to me!” Chanyeol rushed out, not wanting them to get the wrong ideas, because he really had not stalked Jongin or anything like that, they had just happened to end up at the same gym! “I didn’t even really know it was you until Baekhyun told me!”

“Oh my god, wait, did you have a pudgy tummy?” Baekhyun suddenly butted in, sitting up straight and forcing Chanyeol’s attention to him.

“Uh, well, yeah, a bit?” Chanyeol answered, rubbing the back of his neck and jerking as Baekhyun gasped and slapped his hands over his cheeks.

“ _No fucking way_ , that’s so adorable! Sweet Chanyeol with a soft, pudgy tummy, just the thought of that makes me want to cry!” Baekhyun exclaimed, wincing as if he was holding back tears or something, and Chanyeol groaned over his silly boyfriend.

“Stop, _no_!” Chanyeol said as he placed his hands over Baekhyun’s and forced him to look up. “No Chanyeol with pudgy tummy, not a good look on Chanyeol!”

“Best look on Chanyeol!” Baekhyun protested, even as Chanyeol shook his head vehemently. “I can just imagine how soft you’ve must have been, _fuck_ , I want to knead your little tummy and poke it and nuzzle it and-”

“Okay, but we’re still in public, and no matter how adorable y’all are, I don’t think anyone else appreciates this mess,” Kyungsoo’s drawling voice cut in, making Chanyeol freeze, because _fuck._

Quickly ducking down, Chanyeol hid his face against Baekhyun’s neck, as Baekhyun burst out laughing, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s back and holding him close, keeping him hidden for as long as he needed.

 

They said goodbye a while later, promising to meet up again soon, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun trudged over to Chanyeol’s apartment since his was the closest. They were holding hands all the way, swinging them childishly, and Chanyeol’s heart felt so full it was close to bursting at the sound of Baekhyun’s adoring giggles.

 

xxx

 

A few days later found Chanyeol at Baekhyun’s apartment, Baekhyun just having gotten home from work and fresh out of the shower, as they were supposed to head out for dinner later. Chanyeol had held back from checking to see if he could find Baekhyun’s pictures on _Dyo &Kai _‘s tumblr, but the curiosity was quickly eating away at him now. And, like Baekhyun had said, it was a bit unfair that Baekhyun had seen his, but Chanyeol had not seen Baekhyun’s. It was not as if Chanyeol would make fun of him for them or anything - rather the opposite. He would probably love them.

Deciding to take a chance, Chanyeol pulled out his phone as he sat down on Baekhyun’s bed, and opened his tumblr app. Baekhyun had said he could see them if he wanted to, too.

“Hey, Baekhyun, what tag are you under?” Chanyeol called out as he clicked into Dyo and Kai’s tumblr. It felt a bit strange to see all of these pictures now that he had met the couple, but he powered on.

“Byuntae, why?” Baekhyun called back from the bathroom, before the tone of his voice became very amused. “Are you looking me up now?”

“Damn right I am,” Chanyeol answered. “You've seen my pictures, just fair I get to see yours! So Byuntae, huh?”

“Yeah, Soo thought it was a fun play on my last name,” Baekhyun said as he walked out of the bathroom, running his fingers through his wet hair. He seemed a lot more comfortable about sharing the information now, and that made Chanyeol happy. It meant he trusted him, among other things. “And you know I'll let you see the real deal if you just ask me nicely.”

Chanyeol, who was waiting for the page to load, nodded absently.

“I know, but it's different, Dyo is a pretty great photographer,” Chanyeol said, a small smile creeping upon his face as the images fully loaded. “I'm just interested in the semi-professionally taken pictures of you, leave me alone!”

Baekhyun chuckled as he dropped down onto the bed next to Chanyeol, and placed his chin on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“I’m not trying to keep you from them, don’t worry. I know it’s a bit unfair to do so, and I do trust that you won’t dislike them. They are pretty great, actually.”

And Baekhyun was not wrong, the pictures were pretty great. Dyo was really a great photographer, and with someone as handsome as Baekhyun as model, it was probably not hard to get pretty pictures.

None of them showed off Baekhyun’s entire face - one had his lower face, with his lips only, one showed half his face, up to just below his eyebrow - but that just made the pictures so much better, more mysterious.

And Chanyeol realized he had seen these before. Probably not that strange, since he had followed _Dyo &Kai _ for quite some time now, but it was still surprising to realize. He did not remember his reaction to them, they were rather old by now, but he did remember them. How had he not made the connection before.

Chanyeol was brought out of his thoughts by Baekhyun’s teeth clamping down gently around his shoulder, not even hard enough to leave marks probably, but still enough to get Chanyeol’s attention.

“Okay, now you’ve looked through them, pay some attention to the real life masterpiece instead!” Baekhyun chirped, making Chanyeol smile. He wondered if Baekhyun’s heart was too close to giving out from nerves now.

“I think that would be called being ‘egocentric’, and ‘full of myself’, and I don’t want to be that,” Chanyeol said, laughing as he was tackled to the bed and straddled, and then attacked.

But in the end, Chanyeol paid a _lot_ of attention to Baekhyun, and vice versa, so Baekhyun did not seem to mind the joke too much.

No, if you went by the way Baekhyun was gazing up at Chanyeol as the taller rode him, eyes filled with amazement, it would seem like Baekhyun was agreeing with Chanyeol being the masterwork, and that look was enough to help Chanyeol reach one of the best orgasms he had ever had. Funny how that worked.

 

xxx

 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes for the tenth - twentieth? - time, almost throwing Chanyeol’s phone at the other male before climbing back up onto the bed behind him.

“Yes, for the last fucking time, I’m _sure_ ,” Baekhyun answered, a surprising amount of patience in his voice as he settled with his chest against Chanyeol’s back, throwing his arms over Chanyeol’s shoulders. “Just don’t film my face, and I’m totally fine. This isn’t my first time, Chanyeol.”

“I know, but you barely even let me see Soo’s photos of you,” Chanyeol said, glancing over one of his shoulders to scan Baekhyun’s face, but his boyfriend seemed perfectly okay, if a bit annoyed, at the moment.

The last few months had been magical, with Chanyeol falling deeper and deeper for Baekhyun as they navigated through life together. Baekhyun was almost living with Chanyeol by now, claiming Chanyeol’s apartment was so pretty (it was because it was closer to the centrum and because Chanyeol was there, Baekhyun could not fool him) that he loved being there so much. Sehun had met Kyungsoo and Jongin, and it had gone about as well as anyone could have guessed - with Sehun embarrassingly almost shouting _“Hey, you’re the tall, tanned gym guy that Chanyeol had a crush on! And you’re also the tumblr guy he had a crush on? I fucking knew it, hah!”_. At that point, Chanyeol and Jongin had managed to become friends, but after that it took them a week or so to be able to look each other in the eyes for a longer amount of time, much to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s amusement.

Yeah, it was strange befriending the people you had jerked off to on numerous occasions, but Chanyeol managed rather well, he thought. The fact that they were so open and great also helped a lot, to be honest, and it was less awkward than Chanyeol had expected it to be.

Amidst it all, Chanyeol and Baekhyun had had several discussions about Chanyeol’s tumblr. It was important for Chanyeol to know what and how much Baekhyun was okay with, even if it was Chanyeol’s personal tumblr. Even if Chanyeol would be upset about it, he would limit his use of it if Baekhyun asked him to, because Baekhyun’s happiness was something that Chanyeol spent a lot of time and thought on nowadays, and Chanyeol knew that sometimes you needed to sacrifice some to keep the relationship healthy and his tumblr was something Chanyeol did not want to be the cause of their breakup. There were more important things to fight over, after all.

But, maybe not so strangely, Baekhyun very firmly let Chanyeol know that he did not mind the blog at all. He might want to see whatever went up _before_ it went up, and wanted some pictures and videos for himself, that were personal and only between them, but otherwise, he was fine with it.

And that led to today, where they were engaging in some pretty heavy making out, most clothes discarded, as Baekhyun suddenly pulled back and pinned Chanyeol with a stare, letting out words that shocked Chanyeol so badly that he could do nothing more than open and close his mouth repeatedly.

“Let’s film something and post it, with the both of us. You haven’t posted in a while, right? It can be like a comeback as well as an announcement about you being taken now.”

When Chanyeol had regained his speaking ability, he had asked Baekhyun if he was serious, even though he could see that Baekhyun was _deadly_ serious. There was no joke anywhere in his eyes, and that was how Chanyeol found himself trying to get a decent video as Baekhyun was quickly driving him insane.

It did not take long before Chanyeol decided to fuck it, it had to be enough, there had to be some good footage, as he locked his phone and threw it somewhere, before succumbing to Baekhyun’s eager hands, meeting ravaging lips with just as much fervor. Somehow, no matter when or what they were doing, Baekhyun was always so passionate. They could be going at it hard and fast, or slow and sweet, and Baekhyun would still be burning so brightly, etching flaming paths into Chanyeol’s skin. It made Chanyeol feel so special, like he could affect Baekhyun in a way no one else could, so incredibly _powerful_.

As Baekhyun was moving between Chanyeol’s legs, Chanyeol let his eyes slide over his boyfriend’s body. It really was an amazing piece of art, even more defined nowadays, easily having Chanyeol get lost in his admiration even as the pressure kept building inside of him.

And alongside the pressure, another feeling kept growing, a softer yet more overwhelming feeling, that had Chanyeol reach out to drag Baekhyun down so he could connect their lips in a sweet, fierce kiss.

Ah, yes, he knew what this was. This overwhelming feeling that threatened to burst his heart, Chanyeol knew what it was. It was love, pure and simple love. And Chanyeol was nowhere near surprised to realize that he had moved from being in love, to _loving_ Baekhyun. It was about time that that shift occurred, as natural as every other thing about their relationship.

As one of Baekhyun’s hands wrapped around Chanyeol, urging him even faster towards the end, Chanyeol pulled back with a gasp, hands scrambling for purchase around Baekhyun’s upper arms.

Finding Baekhyun’s eyes, Chanyeol managed to whisper out his revelation, catching Baekhyun’s surprise before his head snapped back, body arching, as he came.

“I can’t believe you told me you love me just before you came,” Baekhyun whispered into Chanyeol’s ear after they had both managed to calm down a little. “How am I supposed to trust that, huh?”

Cracking an eye open, Chanyeol glanced over at Baekhyun, not missing the softer edge to his grin.

“Well, I’m still loving you, trust that?” Chanyeol answered, voice a bit rough.

“Hm, but you’re stuck in the afterglow right now,” Baekhyun shot back, a laughter in his voice that had Chanyeol deciding against protesting. “But I’ll just have to put my trust in you, because I love you too, and it would be pretty awful if you were just saying you love me because of the sex.”

Chanyeol’s heart skipped several beats, barely even believing Baekhyun’s words even though they were the same as his own, before relief and amazement flooded his body, and Chanyeol had to spend a few minutes kissing every part of Baekhyun’s face that he could reach. Until a laughing Baekhyun had enough, and pulled Chanyeol into a proper deep kiss instead.

 

A new video appeared on Chanyeol’s tumblr, the first in a rather long time, and it quickly rose to being one of Chanyeol’s most popular posts.

It was only a quick snippet, not more than ten seconds, but apparently not more was needed - or maybe it was the shortness of it that left people wanting more and hoping to get it through showing their love for it.

The text beneath the video was a simple heart, the tags only hinting to what kind of a video it was and nothing more, but the strong arms hanging down across a firm chest and the unfamiliar slender fingers wrapped around and stroking a rather well-known erection said enough.

After a few struggles, Park Chanyeol had found love again in the form of Byun Baekhyun, and through some kind of miracle he had not had to sacrifice a single part of himself.


End file.
